Type 1 diabetes charity, the JDRF, has launched a petition to urge the government to increase its research funding dedicated towards type 1 diabetes.

The petition is part of JDRFs #CountMeIn campaign which is asking the government to not let type 1 diabetes slip down the funding priority list. Meanwhile, the rate of type 1 diabetes incidence is climbing within the UK. 1 in 150 people in the UK have type 1 diabetes and this includes 29,000 children.

The government's current annual spending on type 1 diabetes research is £6.5 million but this is significantly less, per capita, than the type 1 research budgets of countries, such as Australia, Canada and the US, that have similarly high rates of type 1 diabetes as the UK.

£6.5 million also represents less than 0.5% of the estimated NHS spending on treating type 1 diabetes and its complications. The petition notes the challenging nature of type 1 diabetes, requiring regular carefully calculated doses of insulin, by injections or insulin pump infusion, in effort to keep blood glucose levels from being too low or too high for health.

JDRF's Chief Executive, Karen Addington is encouraging people to support the petition which could make a big difference to the future of type 1 diabetes research: "Please join us and sign our #CountMeIn petition calling on the UK Government to urgently boost its investment in type 1 diabetes research  and safeguard the UK's position as a leader in the fight to cure, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes."